by Bulwark Exterminating

Category Archives: Pest Control

Atlanta is full of fun attractions ranging from the Zoo to the Braves game. Atlanta is also home to the APEX Museum, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and the CNN Center. Each year these attractions will bring millions of visitors to Atlanta. Some of the visitors that come to Atlanta are not welcomed; they are noisy, eat your food and clothes, and will infest your home if they are not treated. These unwanted guests are crickets.

What does a cricket in Atlanta look like?

Atlanta crickets are small pests, which will be about 1 inch long. The color of a cricket will be a light tan or brown. The cricket will have very long thin antennas, and huge hind legs. The adult cricket will have wings that cover the body. Crickets will make a chirping noise with their wings and legs, and can be very annoying.

Where will I find Atlanta crickets?

Outside of the home you will find crickets by plants, in the expansion joints of concrete, and at the base of your home trying to get inside. If you see some black droppings at the base of the home that means they are inside the walls of your home. Inside your home crickets can be found in dark moist areas like the bathrooms, kitchens, and in laundry rooms.

Why are there so many crickets in Atlanta?

Crickets will infest an area very quickly. Female crickets will produce and average of 730 eggs, and they will hatch every 2 to 3 months. This will make your home, a cricket farm.

How can I rescue my home from crickets?

With so many crickets infesting the inside and outside of your home, it is best to call a professional. They will have the right products and baits to control the crickets at your home. A Bulwark Exterminator will have the right tech to do the job. Every Bulwark Technician is licensed by the state, and is also in house trained.

Atlanta Cricket Control

It’s important to note that crickets are the prey for many other types of pest, including the dangerous Black Widow spider. If you have crickets, they are bringing in other pests too. If you live in Atlanta, and are tired of seeing crickets in and around your home and property, it’s time to call a professional for Atlanta cricket control. Call today!

A homeowner’s first step in pest control is always prevention. Pests find certain environments more inviting than others, and you want to ensure that your living space isn’t one of them. Though insects and rodents don’t solely target unkempt households, the more meticulous you are with maintenance indoors and around the perimeter of your home, the less you should have to worry about pest infestations causing chaos and property damage and negatively affecting your health. Eliminating appealing elements and sources needed for survival (food, water, and shelter), along with having periodic inspections from a pest control professional, will help you avoid the nuisance of uninvited critters.

Food Sources

It’s no secret that a bite to eat is what a majority of pests are looking for when they enter a home, so properly storing food and cleaning up any remnants of crumbs can help to send them in another direction. Wipe down kitchen counters, don’t leave dishes in the sink, clear up spills quickly and sweep and vacuum the floors regularly. Limit meals, snacks and beverages to the kitchen and dining areas to cut down on the number of places food residue can potentially be found. Keep pantry and leftover food in tightly sealed containers that aren’t vulnerable to gnawing teeth and holes that allow creepy crawlers to enter. Frequently wash out garbage bins (those that are kept inside as well as outside), make sure they are always covered with lids, rinse out all recyclables before tossing them out and take out your kitchen trash daily.

Water Sources

There are several different kinds of water sources around a property that will attract pests if homeowners aren’t careful. Don’t leave pet bowls out all day and night, thoroughly wring out wet mops, clear out slow or clogged drains and take extra notice of any leaky plumbing indoors. Outside, be sure to clean out all gutters and drainage pipes consistently, fill in any holes that could allow for standing water and keep an eye on decorative landscaping accessories like birdbaths and fountains that can easily become a breeding ground for pests. Humidity may also capture the attention of insects and rodents, making it important to keep your home well-ventilated and to routinely check attics, basements and crawl spaces for signs of dampness.

Shelter Sources

Sometimes vermin just need to take shelter in a cozy place, but you don’t necessarily want that to be your place. Keep your preventive pest control efforts up by blocking entry points that would give them access indoors. Secure mortar around the foundation of your home, reinforce stripping around doors and windows, install screens, caulk all holes and cracks, repair damaged roofing materials and keep vents closed off or appropriately covered. It’s also a good idea to keep all vegetation well-trimmed and away from the home and to store wood further away on the property, as these things can provide the perfect hiding spots for pests.

Practicing these methods of prevention will assist you in keeping the insects and rodents at bay. But at the first indication of a problem, it’s to your advantage to call in the help of a pest control professional before matters get any worse.

About the Author

Tiffany Olson lives in beautiful Northern California and blogs regularly on pest control and home related topics. When she is not researching or blogging you will usually find her on a weekend road trip or hanging out with good friends.

As soon as someone discovers they have a mice problem they immediately turn to poisons or traps. Poison is dangerous especially if you have pets or children. In my opinion, most mouse traps are inhumane. They are very messy and unnecessary. However there is a fantastic repellant for getting rid of mice that no one ever talks about.

I’m not sure if there is a lack of good information or people are just skeptical about trying something new. Whatever the case may be peppermint oil is a proven and effective deterrent for getting rid of mice. It has a strong sent that is very pleasing to humans but highly offensive to rodents. Mice depend on there since of smell to communicate, find food, and survive. They cannot tolerate the scent of peppermint oil. So they will have no choice but to pack up and leave.

Here is what you need to know

Although peppermint oil is inexpensive not many regular stores carry it. The best place to find peppermint oil is at Amazon. All you’ll need is a 1 oz. bottle. This will usually cost you a little less than $10 dollars. If you want to keep some on hand at all times and save money, purchase the 4 oz. bottle. This will cost you less than $15 dollars.

How to use peppermint oil for mice control

You’ll want to figure out where you think the mice are hanging out. The best way to determine this is to look for mice droppings. Some of the most common places mice hide out are in storage areas, in drawers, cabinets, and even behind refrigerators.

You’ll want to purchase some standard cotton balls. Apply a few drops of peppermint oil to a cotton ball and leave them in all the areas you think the mice may be. Also, leave some in areas where you think they may be using as pathways.

Peppermint is very strong. So you’ll only need to use a limited amount. Using too much could cause irritation to your eyes and throat. Leave the cotton balls in the designated areas for up to six weeks. To prevent the mice problem in the future continue to replace the peppermint cotton balls every four to six weeks.

Purchasing peppermint oil is simple and easy. However, many people choose to grow their own peppermint inside their house. This is a great cost effective way to keep rodents and mice out of the house.

If for some reason your mice problem continues, it’s always a good idea to contact your local pest control company. Most lawn and pest control companies offer environmentally safe treatments for their clients.

Would you let a bed bug bite? Parents have always warned their children throughout time of the pesky creepy crawler, but some researchers seem to choose that option for the bugs they cultivate. Recently, bed bugs have made a comeback thus requiring researchers to host in lab bugs to figure out just how to put an end to this fiend’s infestation. However, hosting the bugs creates the problem of how to feed them. Bed bugs feed on blood and keeping them alive in the lab requires some brain power. The following steps will explain just how these guys do it.

1. Find Food for the Foe

Bed bugs are parasites. They feed on blood, and primarily human blood at that. It’s much easier for the bugs to penetrate a hair-less human than a shaggy dog. Bed bugs will however feed on dogs, cats, and even rodents when necessary.
Many researchers have found that the easiest way to feed the critters is to just lend out an arm, but when the amount of bed bugs being studied is too large that becomes a lot more difficult. Most scientists will order animal blood, from rabbit to dog and everything in-between. In order to maintain the experiments as controlled as possible, the blood must be processed to resemble human blood, the bug’s favorite host. And so, a few scientific processes later, the blood is ready for dinner.

2. Containing the Blood Supply

This is where scientists have to get creative. The containers required to hold the blood must somehow prevent the bed bugs from escaping and the blood from leaking. Scientist will place the blood into any sort of container. This holding device must somehow contain a permeable skin-like layer that will simulate real human skin. From fancy hemotek feeders to one of kind CD feeders, researchers are constantly creating new ways to feed these bloodsuckers.

3. Regulation of the Study

Besides finding the proper holder for the blood, scientists must regulate the blood. Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide and body heat, which is why they prey on sleeping humans. So in order to maintain the experiment as controlled and realistic as possible the blood must be warm and the bugs must be hungry. Some scientists blow on the bugs. The carbon dioxide that is released emulates that of a real sleeping human, and sets the perfect conditions for bed bug dinner time.

4. Keep the Critters Crawling

Many things can go wrong in the lab and the bed bugs can die. Scientists must develop the best feeding patterns for the bugs. Keeping a close eye on the blood and bugs will help maintain them and all the efforts put into the project; a project which researchers hope will help lead to the complete extermination of these nasty pests.

Author Bio:Heydi Ruelas is a journalism student and blogger for Bulwark Exterminating, an industry leader in providing high quality pest control service. When I’m not playing with my two adorable nieces, I’m on the tennis court chasing that little green ball around.

Mosquitos are more than disgusting critters – they can be dangerous too. According to the silver screen, mosquitos aren’t just cause for worry because of West Nile Virus – they are also deadly, vengeful killers when they grow big enough! Killer insects have long been a popular theme in Hollywood B-flicks, and mosquitos are no exception. Below is a list of four movies starring killer mosquitos that are sure to make your skin itch!

1. Mansquito

Mansquito (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Also known as Mosquito Man, this 2005 flick follows the story of a convicted murderer who mutates into a disgusting half-man, half-mosquito after a DNA experiment with a hot babe scientist goes bad. The “mansquito” goes on a killing spree which leaves his victims drained of blood, and soon the gorgeous scientist finds herself transforming into a mutant mosquito as well! But can the scientists’ boyfriend-the-cop stop them before it’s too late?

2. Mosquito

Blood Fever (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When an alien spaceship crashes into a swamp in the middle of a national park, mosquitos mutate into the size of vultures after feeding on the alien corpses. These new, humongous, mutant mosquitos are hungry – very hungry – and start feeding on every human being they come across. Also known as Blood Fever, this flick was released in 1995 with the tagline “Million years of evolution have just become mankind’s worse nightmare.” It is unintentionally hilarious, and definitely worth a watch if you enjoy movies that are so bad, they’re good.

3. Skeeter

Illegal toxic waste dumping in a desert town results in a swarm of deadly, mutant mosquitos – very rubbery looking, bat-sized mosquitos that are intent on draining the locals of all their blood! Starring Tracy Griffith, Jim Youngs, and Charles Napier, this straight-to-video flick was released in 1993 and is billed as a horrifying sci-fi thriller.

4. Sucker

Source: scifi-movies.com

Sucker is another film about a man being unintentionally mutated into half-man, half-mosquito and suddenly being hell-bent on revenge. The main character in this flick worked for years at a nuclear power plant, and when he’s abducted by an evil scientist who wants to test a vaccine against a deadly mosquito virus, the rabid mosquito DNA fuses with his own and he transforms into a blood-thirsty mutant. Released in 2013, this film is the most recent in monster mosquito flicks.

As you can see, mosquitos are more than disease-carrying bloodsuckers – they’re literal killers, too – at least in the cinema, anyway. Whether it’s men being mutated into half-human/half-mosquito or gigantic alien bloodsuckers, mosquitos are truly horrifying on screen and off. In fact, it’s best to call a pest control professional if you see any of these bloodsuckers buzzing around, just to be safe – you don’t want them mutating into monstrous killers, after all!

About the author: Chris is a blogger for a New Jersey pest control company. He used to enjoy horror flicks, including cheesy B films, when he was young but no longer has a stomach for them.

Sometimes big things come in small packages – and unfortunately, this applies to poisonous pests. Some of the world’s poisonous animals are small enough to fit in a bread box (although you might want to wrap a chain around it if you ever actually got these creatures inside!) Below we’ll discuss the top five poisonous pests that can fit in a bread box.

Sea Wasp

Ever hear of the sea wasp? No? Well, don’t let its name fool you – this critter is actually not a wasp, but a jelly fish, although both creatures deliver painful stings. The sea wasp lives in the Indo-Pacific region, and while its body (or bell) only grows to be about 10 – 12 inches (or 25 – 30 cm,) its tentacles would have to be folded in order to fit this guy into your breadbox. The sea wasp delivers a very painful, very dangerous sting, that can easily kill a person, with its venom paralyzing the victim’s heart in approximately 30 seconds. Victims have actually died from shock or heart failure before reaching shore after being stung by sea wasps. Its translucent skin makes it difficult to see, putting swimmers at risk.

Cone Shell

Even if you’re a hard core sea shell collector, you will probably want to pass on the cone shell. The cone shell is actually a marine snail that lurks in the Indo-Pacific region. They can grow to be as large as 6 inches (or 15 cm) long, and are a force to be reckoned with. The cone shell is extremely toxic, delivering venom through a dart similar that resembles a harpoon, which in turn causes pain, dizziness, numbness, and paralysis. If you’re still not convinced that this “sea shell” is dangerous, take this into consideration: the venom from one sting is potent enough to kill several people. Fatalities may be rare, but there is no anti-venom, rendering the cone shell extremely deadly.

Mosquito

Mosquitoes are in overabundance if you live in warm climates. While most mosquito bites aren’t deadly, they are known to transmit diseases that can be – such as yellow fever, malaria, filariasis, dengue, West Nile virus, meningitis, and even HIV. If a mosquito is infected with parasites , they can transfer their diseases to your blood by biting you.

Poison Frog

Poison frogs may be tiny – measuring from half an inch to two and a half inches – but their skin sure is deadly. These frogs prefer to dwell in the tropical areas of Central and Southern America, and their brightly colored skin can be extremely potent – so if you ever encounter one, be sure not to pop it into your mouth!

Tsetse Fly

The Tsetse fly from Africa measures less than an inch long, but this blood sucker is known to wreak havoc on those who encounter it. Its blade-like mandibles pierce the skin on humans and other animals, and can pass on parasites that it’s been infected with – including the “sleeping sickness.” Symptoms include drowsiness, fever, and swelling of the lymph nodes. The sleeping sickness can be fatal if not treated.

So there you have it – 5 poisonous pests that can fit in your breadbox. These creatures may be small, but they are certainly deadly – and you might just want to bury your breadbox if you ever capture any of these in it!

About the author: Chris is a blogger for a Virginia Beach pest control company. He enjoys writing about the quirkier side of the pest control business with fun and interesting things about insects.

One of the most explosive pest control social media pieces this last summer happened to be a word search puzzle. You’ve most likely seen it shared on Facebook. Essentially, the word search puzzle had 12 different pests hidden inside; and a few words that were not pests. Participants on Facebook were asked to comment on the word search puzzle, with the first pest that they found… And boy did they ever! To date, there have been almost 13,000 comments on the puzzle.

Now, I’m getting ahead of myself. First you need to see the word search pest test puzzle for yourself:

The Word Search Pest Test Puzzle

Now that you’ve seen the word search puzzle, was the first pest that you found? Are you interested in comparing your find to everyone else who commented their find on Facebook? Check out the following infographic, as it breaks down all of the comments and lets us know exactly what pest people were finding.

The fight against pests in your home is a year-round battle that is tough to win. It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do to keep them out, pests eventually find a way into your home. However there are steps you can take to limit their access and reduce the number of pests you find.

A lot of homeowners act by calling a professional pest control service to come in and spray for pests. Although this is a recommended first step to take, the fight doesn’t stop there. Professional services can slow pests down and lower their population, but homeowners must carry out a few do-it-yourself steps if they wish to stop seeing pests altogether.

Finding & Sealing Passages

Most homeowners feel their home is tightly sealed, but it’s actually full of tiny holes that become passageways for small insects. Pests can find their way into your home through the smallest cracks imaginable so it may be impossible to make your home completely bug proof. However you can seal most cracks if you take the time to find them.

Start by examining the exterior of your home and filling any holes with caulk. This means checking under decks, steps and other places that may be hard to reach. The foundation of homes is often the site for many cracks that allow pests inside. It won’t be fun work, but it’s necessary if you want to stop seeing pests in your home.

Areas of the home notorious for cracks and holes include doors, windows, dryer vents, exhaust fans, soffits, and chimney gaps. Make sure to check these areas thoroughly before moving onto any other pest preventing steps.

Make Your Home Less Desirable

Pests are constantly on the move looking for a new place to call home. If they happen to stop at your home, there’s probably a reason why. Chances are high that you’ve either left cracks unfilled or your home’s surroundings are inviting them to stay.

Pests naturally need water to survive and they often look for places that have plenty of moisture. So if you’ve got pests you need to eliminate areas that might be collecting water. Walk around your property after it rains and see where water is collecting and not draining properly. Once you find these areas, see what you can do to fix them.

It’s best to have the soil slope away from the foundation so make sure this is the case with your yard. Places of heavy vegetation around the home can keep siding and soil damp so continually keep bushes and plants trimmed back. Mulch is well known for collecting moisture and it’s a great home for roaches and other bugs. If you have mulch around your foundation, make sure water is draining properly. Plumbing leaks should obviously be fixed to prevent moisture buildup.

Eliminating clutter is another way to make your home less desirable to pests. All bugs, insects and rodents look for clutter because it’s a form of protection. Remove all clutter from carports, garages, porches and other areas so pests don’t see it as an appealing home.

Taking these precautions is certainly going to make your home less inviting to pests. However it’s very important to have the assistance of a professional pest control company. You can buy powerful pest control products at the store, but it’s not the same as hiring a professional. If you want the best results, have a professional service spray every six months.

The significance of pest control goes a lot deeper than many people realize. It’s safe to say that most of us dread the thought of ever having to use this type of service, but there are others that really never give it much thought until they absolutely have reason to. Pest control is much more than just making sure your residence is cleared of the bugs that commonly pop up here and there. Even if finding the telltale signs of insects or rodents in your home don’t necessarily concern you, there are several reasons that pest control services are necessary for a better quality of life.

Health Concerns

As a result of all the germs they carry around with them, pests have notoriously been the cause of sickness and disease in decades past. Better pest control over the years has led to a decrease in related health concerns, but we must continue to implement insect and rodent management strategies, especially in our homes, if we want to continue to prevent contamination. Many allergic reactions and asthma attacks are caused by pests that have infiltrated a home and gone undetected.

Agricultural Production

Pest control in agricultural production has always been crucial to maintaining much of our food source. Without it, there is a very real possibility that all of the plant-eating pests out there could wipe out many of the crops we rely on. A plant’s health and productivity depends heavily on the effective management of insects and the methods used to enforce it. In an effort to respect the environmental movement and the worries that many people have about the use of chemicals in agriculture, great strides have been taken to use sustainable pest control tactics.

Impact on Public Businesses

No one wants to eat in a restaurant or employ the services of a business where pests are obviously running rampant. This, again, suggests there should be cause for health concerns, especially when the contamination of food is in question. An effective pest control method must be executed immediately in a food service business. Any other type of industry or company can expect to see a decrease in client relations as well when they can’t keep up clean appearances which in turn will eventually begin to affect our economy’s growth.

Structural Damage

If you’re a homeowner, you should already be aware of the destruction caused every year by pests like termites, carpenter ants and rodents that will eat through a structure or chew on electrical wires and wreak all kinds of havoc. The cost of repairs can be quite hefty, and the stresses that come along with having to deal with an especially damaging situation can be prevented with regular termite and pest inspections and subsequent management procedures.

The key to living a lifestyle that doesn’t include pests is to be aware of your surroundings and take action before the threat of infestation becomes too much to handle. Whichever method you choose to use, the importance of pest control becomes evident once you become informed of just how much the lack of it would negatively impact our environment.

About the Author

Tiffany Olson is a full-time blogger from Northern California who writes regularly about home issues including pest control. A great resource for information is Killroy Pest Control who specializes in pest control in Hayward.

When you think of insects, you probably automatically think of diseases. Not all insects spread diseases, but the ones that do are definitely something to worry about. While some bugs do good things for the environment, like fertilize soil and pollinate plants, their disease-ridden counterparts spread harm and to humans and animals alike. But which bugs are the most dangerous? Below we’ll take a look at the top five nastiest insects that you’ll want to steer clear of.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have probably been the bane of human existence since the dawn of man. Although mosquitoes are deadlier in underdeveloped countries where diseases are more rampant, they can be equally as dangerous in the U.S., where they have been known to spread West Nile Virus. The most commonly disease spread by mosquitoes is malaria, which is responsible for the death of tens of thousands each year. Mosquitoes also spread Yellow Fever and Dengue Fever.

To evade mosquitoes, make sure there is no standing water in your yard, employ the use of bug spray and citronella candles, and if all else fails, invest in a bug zapper.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are disgusting in their own right, living for years in inhospitable environments such as landfills and sewer systems. It is said that cockroaches would withstand a nuclear holocaust, a belief that has good reasoning behind it; they can survive almost anything, including an entire week without a head. These pests have roamed the earth since the days of the dinosaurs, and thousands of species exist, although only four species dwell in houses. Cockroaches are filthy creatures that spread bacteria, being that they love to feast on things such as feces, trash, and refuse. In fact, more than 30 bacterial strains have been isolated in cockroach species; most of these bacteria will only cause an upset stomach if you become infected, although some can cause leprosy and typhoid. Pest control professionals are usually required to rid your home of a cockroach infestation.

Ticks

Ticks may be small, but they’re not to be taken lightly; these pesky little guys are notorious for spreading diseases, especially in rural areas. Ticks typically live in highly vegetated areas, like woods and yards. There are actually over 100 species of ticks, and nearly all of them have a reputation for biting humans. Since ticks feed off of blood, it makes it fairly easy for them to transfer diseases directly into the bloodstream of their victim. Ticks are well-known for carrying diseases such as Encephalitis, Typhus Fever, and Lyme disease. Lyme disease is the most common illness caused by tick bites, and can have lifelong effects on the body. Lyme disease symptoms include nausea, irritability, and confusion. It’s vital that you always use bug spray and do a thorough check of your hair, body, and clothing when frolicking through the woods.

Fleas

Fleas are more than just a nuisance; they were responsible for several generations of plague. Millions of people died after flea-bitten rats carried the plague to populated areas. Fleas are still fully capable of carrying – and effectively spreading – diseases easily. If your dog or cat has fleas, be sure to take measures to get rid of the parasites. If your house has become infected with fleas, the easiest way to get rid of them is to call a pest control professional.

Flies

Flies are disgusting creatures. They feed and lay their eggs on feces and garbage, then tap-dance all over your food if you let them. Flies also regurgitate their stomach contents onto food in order to liquefy and slurp it up. Really, flies are not a pest that you want to contend with. Flyswatters, bug spray, and bug zappers are a good way to deal with these disease-spreading pests. It’s also important to remember to keep all food items covered or tightly sealed prior to eating.

Mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks, fleas, and flies are just a few bugs that carry diseases. It’s always important to take measures of precautions when dealing with insects, especially ones that bite. Bug spray can really your best friend, especially during the warm summer months when bugs roam rampant. If you’re planning on spending a substantial amount of time outdoors this summer, make sure to protect yourself from bug bites that could infect you with diseases.